Derby 1-1 Chelsea  (Sky Sports)

Hot Shots Make A Point At Pride Park

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Hasselbaink: equaliser

 

Derby  1-1  Chelsea 
Ravanelli 6   Hasselbaink 48
FA Barclaycard Premiership, Sunday





Tim Hobbs reporting

Another Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink goal left Colin Todd still waiting for his first win as Derby County and Chelsea cancelled each other out.

The Premiership's top scorer drilled home his 10th of the season to spare his side more awayday Blues and leave the struggling Rams still stuck in the relegation places.

They had stolen ahead after only six minutes when Fabrizio Ravanelli - from an off-side position - stabbed the home side ahead in a game that saw both goalkeepers excel themselves in the second half.

Derby came into the game with three defeats under Todd's sole stewardship, but a packed Pride Park was given the best possible lift with an early goal.

Craig Burley's low cross from the right was cleared and returned goalwards before Benito Carbone's reactionary effort was blocked by Mark Bosnich and Ravanelli snuck back from his off-side position to claim his fourth goals in as many games.

It sparked protests from Chelsea - looking to avoid the the familiarity of a second successive away defeat - and that, as well as the temporary loss of Mario Melchiot with an eye wound gave the home side the initiative.

Ravanelli went close with a mis-hit free-kick and on-loan Carbone forced two fine saves from in-form Bosnich, who blocked the little Italian with his hands and then his legs.

Until then, Hasselbaink had been unusually quiet, but should have levelled just before the break only to completely miss a low cross from Boudewijn Zenden - who was booed all afternoonm for his pre-match remarks - with the goal at his mercy.

But Chelsea were on top as the half closed and took just three minutes of the second period to haul themselves back on terms, as Mikael Forssell, one of three half-time subs, teed up Hasselbaink for a low drive that fizzed past the helpless Mart Poom.

Bosnich had pre-empted the equaliser by beating out a Ravanelli drive and as a Derby side determined to pull out of the drop zone came roaring back, showed his qualities again after the White Feather had chested down a Carbone cross at the back post and tried to blast across him.

Poom then showed how important he will be to Derby's survival hopes by somehow diverting a Hasselbaink effort on to his post before flying to his right to parry a rising drive from Frank Lampard and then standing his ground when the 11million man finally made a burst into the box.

The former Hammer was dropped to the bench by Ranieri and had a chance to prove his boss wrong in the dying seconds but stabbed wide of a gaping goal, although the miss at least took the attention away from an on-going and petty squabble between Ravanelli and Marcel Desailly, who were both booked and who both, really know better.

But while Chelsea could have snatched the win, Derby will curse the feet of Bosnich for their failure to take the spoils, the Aussie keeping out Ravanelli again after a fine link down the right involving Craig Burley and Carbone.

MAN OF THE MATCH - Mark Bosnich (Chelsea): Back in the first team and back to his best. Showed his class again, pipping opposite number Poom with a series of fine stops.

Derby: Poom, Mawene, Higginbotham, Riggott, Zavagno, Ducrocq, Burley, Powell, Carbone, Burton (Christie 79), Ravanelli.
Subs Not Used: Feuer, Boertien, Murray, Valakari.
Booked: Ravanelli.

Chelsea: Bosnich, Gallas, Desailly, Terry, Le Saux, Melchiot (Stanic 45), Petit, Jokanovic (Lampard 45), Zenden, Hasselbaink, Zola (Forssell 47).
Subs Not Used: Evans, Dalla Bona.
Booked: Petit, Gallas, Desailly, Hasselbaink.

Att: 28,910
Ref: S Bennett (Kent)

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